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Letter to a Prospective Resident at Pathways Vermont’s Soteria House

My name is Hilary and I want to share with you a little about myself. When I was in my 20s, I experienced altered states, including hearing voices and seeing things that other people didn’t hear or see. It was a time where I endured painful, terrifying feelings and grappled with big questions about life, truth, God, and what happened to me.

And it was also an important part of my journey, and helped me define who I am in the world.

Today, I am the Executive Director of a wonderful agency, Pathways Vermont, whose mission is to transform the lives of Vermonters experiencing mental health and other life challenges by supporting self directed roads to recovery and wellness in an atmosphere of dignity, respect, choice and hope. In 2015, we opened Pathways Vermont’s Soteria House as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization for young people who are experiencing mental health crises for the first time.

Many of us who work at and for Soteria, have had our own struggles and can relate to what you are feeling. We believe the experiences you are having at this very moment are important and meaningful. Psychiatric hospitalization and medication are options, but they are not the only options.

At Soteria we will not tell you what you need to do. We will not tell you what you should do. Instead, we will be curious with you and provide the time, opportunity and space for you to define and make meaning out of your experiences for yourself. And for your life.

Soteria is a place where you can open up conversations, ask questions and maybe find some answers. We are confident that you will leave with some useful tools, new friends, an enduring community of support, and hope for the future.

We look forward to meeting you.

Warmly,
Hilary

For more information or to apply, please visit us at http://www.pathwaysvermont.org/what-we-do/our-programs/soteria/


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